Uganda Police holds four over 500Kgs of antelope meat

Lwengo police are holding four people after finding them with over 500kgs of antelope meat. The suspects are Ronald Naduli, Joseph Mugerwa, Abdul Nyanzi and Ben Sseremba.

Police picked up the suspects from Mbiriizi town in Lwengo district on Wednesday evening on a tip off from residents. Trouble for the suspects started after the Toyota Premio vehicle registration number UAM 423X they were using to ferry the meat to Kampala broke down.

One of the suspects, Ronald Musinguzi managed to escape from the scene. Residents tipped off police when they saw blood dripping from the trunk of the vehicle. Plain cloth police officers inspected the vehicle and discovered the wild meat said to have been poached from Lake Mburo Game Park in Kiruhura district.

A team of game rangers from Lake Mburo Game Park arrived at the scene and confirmed the suspects were carrying antelope meat. The rangers told police the suspects had poached four antelopes in the park using firearms.

George William Mutabaazi, the Lwengo LC 5 chairperson, says they have been asking residents to be vigilant because of the theft in the area.

He says intelligence shows that the suspects have been trafficking game meat for some time.

Harriet Nakamya, the Lwengo Resident District Commissioner has appealed to police to recover the guns used by the poachers.

A wildlife official from L. Mburo told this publication on condition of anonymity, that they have prosecuted a number of suspects in connection to poaching in the park.

He explained that the Eland antelopes, Zebras, Impalas, Defassa waterbucks and Reedbuck are the most poached animals in L. Mburo Game Park.

The suspects declined to speak in the presence of journalists, but later told police they were only transporters and not poachers.

In July 2017, the army intercepted consignments of illegal fish, monkey and baboon meat destined for the Democratic Republic of Congo.